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Refugees and their return home: Unsettling matters
‘Return in safety and dignity’ is promoted as the optimum durable solution to refugee displacement. This paper explores the concepts of home and territory as dominant variables in refugee return, with their implicit suggestion of people ‘belonging’ to a defined territory and ‘remixed’ in a restoration of the status quo ante.
Refugee crises: an architype for crisis studies
Rather than directly entering a dialogue with the Lund authors’ paper, ‘The case for Interdisciplinary Crisis Studies’, I use their paper to engage with and reflect on the concept of crisis in my own field of study, refugees. The movement of refugees – exodus, displacement, arrival, settlement – is inescapably and almost without exception described as a ‘crisis’ in the popular imagination and in policy discourse – the 2015 European ‘refugee crisis’, the Syrian ‘refugee crisis’, the Rohingya ‘refugee crisis’ of 2016, and so on. The crisis epithet is inseparable from the phenomenon of the refugee. Indeed, refugee crises are an architype of the conditions the Lund authors explore in their paper. Refugee crises display many of the characteristics of temporality, spatiality and scale they highlight. Refugee crises also display some of the other paradoxical and contradictory constituents they identify: for example, the mistaken dehistoricisation of seemingly specific crisis events – the Rohingya ‘crisis’ of 2016 which, although a rapid onset and large displacement of refugees, has to be seen in the context of an episodic 40-year exodus. In addition, there are refugee crises which morph, more often than not, into situations of protracted displacement – we are now approaching a decade-long Syrian ‘crisis’, yet the crisis epithet remains in official documents. To the extent that the concept of refugee displacement as a ‘crisis’ has apparently become normalised, my response asks two questions. How and why have refugee crises become normalised? And what does the recent development turn in refugee policy tell us about alternatives to the crisis conception? With refugees as the variable, the paper offers a ‘case study’ of how a crisis is conceived and becomes institutionalised.
UNHCR Asylum Capacity Development (ACD) Evaluation: An Independent Evaluation of UNHCR’s Support for Strengthening National Asylum Systems
This document summarises the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the Independent Evaluation of UNHCR’s Support for Strengthening National Asylum Systems. The overall purpose of the evaluation is to review how UNHCR has fulfilled its objective to support and strengthen the capacity of national asylum systems in the period 2015–2020 and thereby improve the quality of protection for persons of concern and the sustainability of the systems that support this.
Refugees and the Right to Citizenship…Somewhere
We all owe a debt of gratitude to David Owen and Alex Aleinikoff for their thoughtful reflections on the desirability and practicality of proposals and practices that divide the world between refugee hosting states (in the Global South) and refugee protection financing states (in the Global North). Given the way the winds have blown over the last decade, with Northern states assembling numerous measures to contain refugees in the South and to prevent them from accessing their territory, there can be few issues more important to the future of refugee protection. In this response I want to focus on the question of the desirability of proposals for what we might call differentiated responsibility between Northern and Southern states, the part of Aleinikoff and Owen’s discussion that considers whether ‘over there’ approaches might be acceptable from a realistic-utopian perspective.
Australia: Legitimizing Immigration Through Contrast
Commentary on the chapter 'Australia and New Zealand: Classical Migration States?' in the book Controlling Immigration: A Comparative Perspective, 4th edition, by James F Hollifield et al (eds)
Gender and access to justice in Uganda’s refugee settlements
This paper explores the gendered nature of access to justice among South Sudanese refugees in Uganda’s settlements. It draws on qualitative research conducted in the three refugee hosting districts of Lamwo, Adjumani and Kiryandongo, between July and September 2021, including 73 individual interviews and groups discussions with a range of officials and refugees. The objectives of the paper are threefold. First, to map the institutions and authorities that govern the resolution of disputes in the settlements, as well as their accessibility and availability to refugees. Second, to understand the gendered nature of the disputes and crimes that are most prevalent in the settlements. Third, to assess how gender norms and power dynamics shape the engagement of refugees with different authorities in the settlements and the responses of different institutions to conflicts.
Rethinking self-reliance and economic inclusion of refugees through a distributive lens: a case study from Uganda
This article examines trends in Uganda’s refugee protection model based on self-reliance and economic inclusion. It does this through a lens of distribution. While self-reliance and economic inclusion are increasingly centralised in the international refugee regime as tools of empowerment that benefit both refugees and their hosts, policymakers largely fail to consider the distribution and availability of local resources in promoting these ideas. Between 2013 and 2018, Uganda experienced a steep rise in the number of refugees within the country. Notwithstanding the global celebration of the Ugandan refugee policy, the empirical data demonstrate an increasingly demanding situation for refugees’ economic lives and ensuing difficulties in pursuing self-reliance. Implementing the Ugandan model without distributive thinking risks detrimental effects even for neighbouring host populations, who are also resource poor. Based on the perspectives of both refugees and host people, the article advances a debate about the efficacy of Uganda’s self-reliance and inclusion policies and concludes by pointing to the risks of framing the current Ugandan model as a ‘success’ for Africa’s refugee protection.
Public health and WASH / Non-signatory States and the international refugee regime
FMR issue 67’s main feature on Public health and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) explores challenges, responses and innovations across a wide range of settings. A second feature focuses on Non-signatory States and the international refugee regime. Public health and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) have rarely been as much in the spotlight as they have been since the global COVID-19 pandemic began in late 2019, making our main feature particularly timely. Although a number of articles focus on the pandemic, this feature covers a broader range of topics, from practical improvements to WASH services in camp settings to community engagement around health issues in displacement crises. The second feature focuses on non-signatory States and the international refugee regime, with authors examining the implications for protection when States are not signatories to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (and/or its 1967 Protocol). In particular, authors explore the role of UNHCR, civil society and legal actors in facilitating access to protection in States such as Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Thailand, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.
Externalisation / Mobility and agency in protracted displacement
Forced Migration Review issue 68 includes a major feature on Externalisation. With States increasingly taking action beyond their own borders to prevent the arrival of refugees and asylum seekers, we examine the consequences for protection. A second feature focuses on Mobility and agency for those living in protracted displacement, produced in collaboration with the TRAFIG research project.
Climate crisis and displacement: from commitment to action
Forced Migration Review issue 69 includes a major feature on ‘Climate crisis and displacement: from commitment to action’ in which authors examine how high-level policy commitments can be translated into concrete action in order to address the impacts of the climate crisis on human mobility. The issue also includes three articles on other topics: women, peace and security in displacement; cash transfers in Turkey; and asylum accommodation in the UK.
From coexistence to cohesion in refugee-host relations
Improving ‘cohesion’ has become a common objective in refugee-hosting contexts. But the term is often used without clear definition, which has consequences for policy and programming.
Knowledge, voice and power
Forced Migration Review issue 70 includes a major feature on ‘Knowledge, voice and power’ exploring issues of representation, influence, privilege, access, discrimination and more. People with lived experience of displacement need to be heard. Their perspectives, strategies and solutions should be at the centre of discussions about policy and practice. The authors in this issue reflect on progress made but also on the road still to travel. They challenge attitudes, highlight injustices and make practical recommendations for change. The issue also includes a feature on ‘Social cohesion in refugee-hosting contexts’, exploring the role of social cohesion in contexts of protracted displacement, with a particular focus on Kenya and Lebanon.
Urban refugees and IDPs in secondary cities
Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda each have a long history of hosting refugees and asylum seekers, with Uganda, one of the top ten refugee hosting countries worldwide, currently hosting 1.3 million (NRC, IRC). The INGOs, national and local governments in each country presently face unique and dire challenges, including civil war, climate crisis and COVID-19. At the same time, good practices exist in a variety of areas, including local leadership, social integration, employment and labour market integration, education, and refugee participation. This policy brief examines the impact of and responses to forcibly displaced people in cities and towns in East Africa, namely Arua, Uganda; Adama, Ethiopia; and Kakuma and Lodwar Town, Kenya. It also discusses a crucial gap in research on forcibly displaced people: their often unacknowledged presence in so-called secondary (non-capital) cities and towns, which themselves often lack the resources to adequately receive them. Through examples from primary research in Uganda and Ethiopia, and secondary data collection in Kenya, this brief highlights the need for more comprehensive data and evidence on and assistance to forcibly displaced people residing outside of national capitals. In many cases the needs and challenges identified are also relevant to the poor and vulnerable nationals that urban forcibly displaced people live alongside. The brief concludes with recommendations for the further engagement of humanitarian, government, and other urban actors in urban assistance to displaced people.
Equipped to Adapt? A Review of Climate Hazards and Pastoralists’ Responses in the IGAD Region
Pastoralism offers a productive and profitable—but also sustainable—form of food production in many settings across the region covered by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). While climate change is exacerbating many of the existing environmental challenges facing livestock producers—especially drought—pastoralism nonetheless offers an extraordinarily resilient form of primary production that is well-suited to adapt to these changes. Policies and programmes to support pastoral resilience often focus on promoting specific adaptations. While this may be beneficial in the short-term, trends change and old adaptation strategies may become less suitable or even maladaptive. Rather than following pre-selected adaptation pathways, pastoralists must be equipped to adjust their adaptive strategies in response to ever-shifting climatic and environmental changes. Accordingly, climate resilience policies should focus not only on promoting specific adaptations, but on providing long-term support for adaptive capacity. This report brings together the most recent literature on pastoralism, mobility and climate change in the IGAD region in order to highlight the regional climate hazards facing pastoralists in the years ahead, and to identify evidence-based strategies for promoting their resilience in the face of adverse and often unpredictable environmental changes.
The emerging world of humanitarian energy: A conceptual research review
The world is facing a humanitarian crisis, with over 102 million people now forcibly displaced from their homes due to wars, conflict, environmental and climate drivers, and disasters. The energy needs of displaced people are neglected both in humanitarian response, and in the academic literature. For many years it has been claimed that there is an extremely limited literature on humanitarian energy needs. This paper puts that claim to the test, by conducting a content review of the topic, interviews with sector specialists, and analysing existing literature to understand the current state of play of published work on energy in displaced contexts. The results reveal a rapidly emerging humanitarian energy literature: over 320 research publications were identified, including academic journal articles and substantive practitioner research outputs, with 115 Scopus records directly addressing humanitarian energy issues. The analysis highlights large gaps where new evidence is urgently needed and discusses how the future of humanitarian energy research could be informed by a range of disciplines. The paper argues that disciplinary diversity is essential to fully understand the complexity of energy issues in humanitarian settings, suggesting that there is considerable conceptual space for the development of new research within academia.
Laura Affolter, Asylum Matters: On the Front Line of Administrative Decision-Making (Palgrave Macmillan, Cham 2021)
Asylum decision making is at the very heart of refugee protection, yet frequently operates as a ‘black box’ – especially if State authorities choose to assess applicants on an individual basis. Because the 1951 Refugee Convention does not specify the processes through which an applicant may be recognized as a refugee, different States recognize refugees through different procedures. If States choose to evaluate applicants individually, it becomes challenging, if not impossible, to understand from the outside how decision makers come to their decisions. This book sheds some light on that process as it operates in one jurisdiction – Switzerland. Laura Affolter’s analysis critically explores how asylum decision making is operationalized in the Swiss Secretariat for Migration (SEM) on a daily basis. It shows us clearly that, although decision makers have the independence to make their judgments, their decisions do not occur in a void. Decisions are brought to life in a particular space, or what Affolter, borrowing from Bourdieu’s concept of ‘habitus’, coins an ‘institutional habitus’ (p12).
The State of the Humanitarian Energy Sector: Challenges, Progress and Issues in 2022
The State of the Humanitarian Energy Sector (SOHES) report explores the major challenges, progress and issues associated with humanitarian energy. This seminal report was led by the Global Platform for Action on Sustainable Energy in Displacement Settings (GPA) and co-authored by leading humanitarian energy institutions: UNITAR, Chatham House, IOM, SEforALL, GIZ, Practical Action, NORCAP, Mercy Corps, University of Oxford, MECS, UNDP, Imperial College London, Selco Foundation, International Lifeline Fund, and UNHCR. The SOHES report aims to inspire and encourage humanitarian energy sector partners, the private sector, and donors to progress towards better funding, inclusive policy-making, enhanced data collection, and inclusive innovative delivery towards achieving SDG7 targets. The report demonstrates the value of inclusive research and shares a variety of insights from sector leaders, champions and voices from multiple humanitarian and development organisations, the private sector, academia and governments and most importantly displaced people themselves. The report builds on over 30 extensive interviews and a collaborative research process, evidencing ten years of progress, innovation and challenges for humanitarian energy. The nine chapters of the report provide a deeper analysis of coordination and governance, policy and advocacy issues, delivery and technical capacity building, financing and funding, and evidence within the sector, while the final chapters of the report outline progressive action and practice. The analysis also demonstrates the high levels of innovation and diversity of practice within the sector by different stakeholders, highlighting the need for further collective action and ambitious leadership to support the vision of reaching SDG7 for displaced people.
Urban Refugees and IDPs in Secondary Cities
This report examines the current reality of forcibly displaced people in cities and towns in East Africa, namely Arua, Uganda; Adama, Ethiopia; and Kakuma and Lodwar Town, Kenya. It argues that the growing urbanisation of forcibly displaced people has fostered increasing engagement and partnerships for assistance with local urban actors such as municipal governments and local civil society organisations while at the same time highlighting, and in cases exacerbating, the challenges that many municipalities face in terms of funding and a lack of recognition of urban needs. The report also discusses a crucial gap in research on forcibly displaced people: their often unacknowledged presence in so-called secondary (non-capital) cities and towns, which themselves often lack the resources to adequately receive them. Through examples from primary research in Uganda and Ethiopia, the report highlights the need for more comprehensive data and evidence on and assistance to forcibly displaced people residing outside of national capitals, which in many cases is also relevant to the poor and vulnerable nationals that urban forcibly displaced people live alongside. The report concludes with a discussion of the future of urban forced displacement and several recommendations for the further engagement of humanitarian, government, and other urban actors in urban assistance to displaced people. This report emerges out of a two-year project aiming to provide data and evidence on how secondary cities respond to and manage crisis migration, including IDPs and refugees, with the aim to provide information that can inform and improve future municipal responses. The project was undertaken by the University of Oxford’s Refugee Studies Centre as part of the Cities and Migration programme implemented by Cities Alliance and financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
Language without a Land: Partition, Sindhi Refugees, and the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution
Scholars have paid significant attention to the linguistic reorganisation of states in India but there is less consideration of how the demands of linguistic movements to redraw the map of India is linked to the history of partition across the colonial-postcolonial divide as well as of the new minorities that linguistic states created. This article draws attention at first to the unsuccessful pre-partition resistance of Sindhi Hindus to the separation of Sindh from the Bombay Presidency on linguistic lines as separation would make them a religious minority. The article then discusses Sindhi resettlement in India as deterritorialised partition refugees, when they had to claim belonging in the context of reinvigorated calls for the redistribution of boundaries based on linguistic majorities. As an alternative to territorial representation, Sindhi refugees successfully sought inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India, a list of officially supported languages meant originally to enrich Hindi. This history reveals how partition and partition's refugees reshaped constitutional conceptions of minority citizenship in a manner not yet acknowledged. The inclusion of Sindhi in the Eighth Schedule transformed the Schedule's primary purpose from that of augmenting Hindi to additionally conferring protections to a group of minority languages. The Sindhi demand for inclusion paved the way for other minorities whose linguistic identity did not necessarily map neatly on to a geographically defined state to claim recognition in the Schedule. This opened a new but limited option for constitutional safeguards for linguistic minorities without a linguistic state in India.
Refugees, Self-Reliance, Development: A Critical History
This critical history of refugee self-reliance assistance brings new dimensions to refugee and international development studies. The promotion of refugee self-reliance is evident today, yet its history remains largely unexplored, with good practices and longstanding issues often missed. Through archival and contemporary evidence, this book documents a century of little-known efforts to foster refugee self-reliance, including the economic, political, and social motives driving this assistance. With five case studies from Greece, Tanzania, Pakistan, Uganda, and Egypt, the book tracks refugee self-reliance as a malleable concept used to pursue ulterior interests. It reshapes understandings of refugee self-reliance and delivers important messages for contemporary policy making. The first chapter is available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.